NABOTH’S VINEYARD
David Oriani is now a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island. About seven years ago – as a seventh grader in a Rhode Island public school – he began to experience harassment from numerous school bullies. In fact, it became more than harassment. Eventually, some of his schoolmates began to brutalize him.
David Oriani recalls faking illnesses to avoid having to go to school at all. He was terrified to walk the school hallways. His grades began to slip. School administrators tried to intervene, but seemingly to of no avail. The harassment and the brutalization were endless.
David’s thoughts began to darken. He says, and I quote, “I felt, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ I wanted revenge. I never sat down and planned anything. I, personally, couldn’t pick up a gun and kill someone. It’s not who I am. But I will tell you, I did want to hurt them. I wanted them to feel as bad as I felt.”
David Oriani eventually transferred to another school and – with the help of his parents and a sympathetic principal – he gradually rebuilt his self-esteem. In an age when bullying has often had fatal consequences, David Oriani’s story is really a success story. Oriani could stand as a poster boy for a modern movement that seeks to understand resilience among the young. The question is asked, “What is it that allows some kids to negotiate the path to a brighter tomorrow, while others get lost – or even crash and burn?” Again, “What is it that allows some kids to negotiate the path to a brighter tomorrow, while others get lost – or even crash and burn?”
Keep that thought in mind as we turn to the passage I read a moment ago from the first book of Kings. It may seem for a little while as if I’m off on a hopeless tangent, but that’s part and parcel to a preaching theory I learned from a professor named Frank Caldwell. Dr. Caldwell said that when you begin a sermon, no one should know where you’re going. But by the time you finish a sermon, everyone should know where you’ve been. Hopefully, by the end of this sermon, everyone will know where we’ve been.
The passage I read from the first book of Kings is frequently entitled, “Naboth’s Vineyard.” Naboth was a simple man who had a beautiful vineyard in a place called Jezreel. It was Naboth’s bad fortune, however, that his vineyard just happened to be located near the palace of the king.
The king – King Ahab was his name – wanted Naboth’s vineyard for himself. He offered to buy it or to exchange it for a nicer vineyard, but Naboth wouldn’t sell. After all, the vineyard had been in his family for generations, and it was far more to him than just a parcel of land.
When Naboth wouldn’t budge, basically King Ahab began to pout. Ahab went home, laid down on his bed, turned his face away from everyone, and refused to eat. We can almost imagine him stomping his feet and throwing a tantrum as well, can we not? Perhaps we could say that Ahab was a bit of a spoiled brat.
Now King Ahab’s wife was a Phoenician princess named Jezebel. When she found out what her husband’s problem was, she said in essence, “Are you not the king of Israel? Sit up and eat and be happy. I’ll get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”
And that’s exactly what she did. She wrote letters in Ahab’s name to the leaders of Naboth’s town. She told them to set a couple of unsavory characters near Naboth at a feast to bring charges against him and have him put to death. And that’s exactly what the leaders of Naboth’s town did. When Naboth was put to death, King Ahab went to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.
God takes a harsh stance against those who abuse their power to take advantage of the weak. He sent the prophet Elijah to confront Ahab in the vineyard. When Elijah showed up, Ahab said to him, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” You see, no one wants to confront the word of God – or a representative of God – when they know that they’ve done wrong. That’s why he referred to Elijah as his enemy. And Elijah lived up to his billing. He promised Ahab that because of the evil he had done, God would bring evil upon him.
Now there are actually several directions I could go with this story. We could talk about the abuse of power of the powerful against the weak. Not long ago I read a story about how a man wanted to purchase some property to build a new baseball stadium in Texas. The people who owned the property wouldn’t sell. You see, the property had been in their family for generations.
So the rich and powerful man spoke to some friends in the local government and had the land condemned. He was then able to purchase the land, develop it, and build his new baseball stadium. Then the rich and powerful man left the baseball business and became governor of Texas. Then he gave up his job as governor of Texas when he got elected President of the United States. But, that’s not the direction I want to go.
Another direction we could go is to blame this whole series of events on Jezebel. Like I said, Jezebel was a Phoenician princess. When she married King Ahab – which was likely a political alliance – she brought her Phoenician gods with her. Now this was bad news for the nation of Israel. They were taught to worship the one true God – the same God we worship today. But here the king and his wife were worshipping foreign gods as well, and leading the rest of Israel to follow suit. This we might refer to as the fruits of TOLERANCE. We allow anyone to think and act and believe as they choose, in spite of the inherent dangers of such actions, but that’s not the direction I want to go either.
After all, today is Fathers’ Day. What I want to do today is express the importance of fatherhood, and point out what a poor example of fatherhood Ahab set. Ahab set a poor example, and I think history bears me out on that. The Bible itself tends to blame Jezebel for this incident with Naboth and his vineyard. In fact, the very name “Jezebel” applied to a person has come to mean wanton and treacherous. Think about it. How many girls have you ever known named Jezebel?
But let’s take a closer look at Jezebel. Jezebel was not an Israelite – she was a Phoenician – and she was not raised with any allegiance toward God. In fact, we should actually admire her religious convictions, in a way. She had temples built in honor of her Phoenician gods, she actively pursued their worship, and she did her best to convert others to her way of thinking. We would admire such religious conviction in a person if they were Christian! She was far more zealous for her faith than most milquetoast Christians in the church are for their faith today.
And as far as Naboth goes, Jezebel was acting on behalf of her husband. She was only trying to give the king what she knew the king wanted. She was only trying to give her husband what she knew her husband wanted. Granted, she went to extreme measures, but she was only doing what she thought best.
Ahab – King Ahab – is the one who should have stepped up and set things right. Only Ahab, clearly, wasn’t strong enough to do the right thing. We may want to say that these things happened to Ahab – certainly that’s the way the Bible wants to put it – but Ahab could have prevented it all. The problem was that Ahab was just too weak. Apparently, he allowed people to walk all over him.
And what kind of father was Ahab? Well, two of his sons actually became king over Israel as well. Ahaziah reigned in Israel for two years, and Jehoram was king for twelve. Yet Scripture tells us that both did evil in the sight of the Lord. Both led Israel away from God. Ah, children tend to become what their parents lead them to become, do they not?
It’s up to a father to set a good example for his children. Of course, it’s up to a mother set a good example as well, but bear with me here. It’s Fathers’ Day! It’s up to a father to set a good example for his children. For as with King Ahab’s boys, children tend to become what their parents lead them to become.
If, for example, a father belittles his wife, what do you suppose his children will do to their wives? If a father is too busy to spend time with his kids, how much time do you suppose his kids will spend with their own kids? If a father sees worship as extraneous to his real way of life, how do you suppose his children will see the church when they grow up? I could go on and on I suppose. Instead, I want you to listen to the words of one of my favorite poems. It’s entitled, “The Little Chap Who Follows Me.” Listen closely to the words.
A careful man I ought to be;
A little fellow follows me.
I do not dare to go astray
For fear he’ll go the self-same way.
I must not madly step aside,
Where pleasure’s paths are smooth and wide,
And join in wine’s red revelry…
A little fellow follows me.
I cannot once escape his eyes;
Whate’er he sees me do he tries.
Like me, he says, he’s going to be;
The little chap who follows me.
He thinks that I am good and fine,
Believes in every word of mine;
The base in me he must not see,
The little chap who follows me.
I must remember as I go
Through summer’s sun and winter’s snow,
I’m building for the years to be,
A little chap who follows me.
Now back to David Oriani. Bullied as a 7th grader, he managed to survive without incident. What is it – what is it – that allows some kids to negotiate the path to a brighter tomorrow, while others get lost – or even crash and burn?
The late Julius Segal – a pioneering psychologist in resiliency research – said it’s this: “The kids who survive are the kids who are able to locate a charismatic adult; a person with whom they can identify, and from whom they can gather strength.” Again, the kids who survive are the kids who are able to locate a charismatic adult; a person with whom they can identify, and from whom they can gather strength. Sometimes it’s a teacher, sometimes it’s a mother, and sometimes it’s a father.
Thus, on this particular Fathers’ Day, I challenge the fathers to truly be fathers. To be a father is to do more than just provide for your family. To be a father is to set a good example for your kids. They will become what they see in you. But more than that, come home early from work once in a while. Turn off the television. Open up a Bible – read it to your kids – and talk about what it means. Don’t just try to shape them into athletes. Don’t just try to turn them into scholars. Try to help them become moral, Christian human beings as well. Because, truth be told, that may be exactly what our society needs…more than anything else in the world. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment